Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Make a committment instead of a resolution

How about choosing to make a commitment instead of a resolution?

Choose carefully and don’t over-commit. Make sure that you are able to follow through on your commitment by considering how you’ll overcome barriers that may get in your way (most often, we are the barrier to our own success!). It’s okay to set your sights high! Consider the sacrifices you might have to make to achieve your commitment; you may have to give something else up to free your time or to better serve your dedication to the commitment.


Test it. Does your commitment feel realistic? Is it something that you can emotionally connect with? Is your heart open to it? When you have a positive emotional connection to your commitment, you are more likely to follow through and remain dedicated to success. If you feel yourself straying from your commitment along the way, think about whether it’s the right thing for you – and be willing to let it go and rethink what you are really committed to.

Figure out how. Consider the following when figuring out the steps needed to begin work on your commitment: What are the actions or behaviors that you need to take to move toward fulfilling your commitment? What do you need to learn to be successful in your commitment and how will you learn it? If you were to look ahead to the end of the year when your commitment is achieved, what will you be doing? Write down your steps.

Ask for help. Share your commitment statement with someone who can hold you accountable. Negotiate with them about how you’d like to be held accountable. Scheduled check-ins work for many, but anything that works for you is okay. The point is that accountability is key to success.

If you’re dedicated to your commitment, by the end of 2015 (and maybe before!), you will have developed a new way of being because of the commitment you’ve made.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Committment

How committed are you?

Do you want to succeed?

Do you want to make more money? Be successful? Save? Provide for your family?

If you want all of that then you need to commit yourself to excellence.
Silence your nay say'ers  and those that bring you down and concentrate how on you can do your job better.
How can you communicate better- think about it, work at it and then start to make a habit of it.

How can you prepare better? What have you learned ? What frustrates you ? Think about it then work on erasing those frustrations by preparing more.
Do not EVER assume anything or that someone else will do it.
Take control.
Commit.

Every time something goes wrong or situations arise ask yourself what you could have done to prevent it. Then correct it, change.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing every day and expecting different results.

You can be better, you can always do more.

Paul Arpin told me that he was always learning, right up to last days on earth he was still learning.
And he was one of the most knowledgeable people that I ever knew.

Make yourself a commitment that next year you will be a better businessman, a better person.

YOU CAN DO IT.

Monday, December 29, 2014

A sense of Wonder...

A sense of wonder keeps us curious and helps us understand things in new ways.
Here are some interesting perspectives on wonder, from some folks you may have heard of:
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.”      
                ——Neil Armstrong

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”  
               ——Albert Einstein

“Wisdom begins in wonder.”            
              ——Socrates

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
              ——-e. e. cummings

“Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science.”

             ——-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.”
           ——-Robert Fulghum

“Without wonder and insight, acting is just a trade. With it, it becomes creation.”
           ——-Bette Davis

“Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.”
          ——–Thomas Aquinas

“From wonder into wonder existence opens.”
         ——–Lao Tzu

Leaders, this holiday season, enjoy the delight of not having all the answers. Remember to look for the magic and keep your sense of wonder.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Trust

You trust your team members with your life.

 There's nothing more important than trust. And at first, it's nearly impossible to know who to trust. After many failures, one's sense of "trust" almost evolves into a "gut feeling". Sometimes it's like meeting the right partner in life--you know, when you know.
 On the startup roller coaster ride, at times it feels like I am just hanging off of a ledge, but I can always "see" the helping hands of my team members, pulling me back to safety and saying, "We got you."
Some questions to ask yourself:
  • If I were in a bad situation, will my team member drop everything and come to my rescue?
  • Can I count on him/her to have my back?
  • Is there any information hiding or untruthful behavior?
Rounding up the right team can be difficult but is crucial for running a successful business.

Complementary skills, a shared vision, and trust are three key ingredients to ensure you have the best group possible behind you as you take on the challenge of disrupting an industry and change the world.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Funny


The Alabama Department of Employment, Division of Labor Standards claimed a small mover(me) was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent out to investigate him.

AGENT: I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them.

Me: Well, there's my lumper who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $200 a week plus free room and board. Then there's the mentally challenged guy. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night so he can cope with life. He also sleeps with my wife occasionally.

AGENT: That's the guy I want to talk to - the mentally challenged one.

Me: That would be me.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Work with whatcha got

You can wish you had more to work with and wish your day away or ..
You can work with whatcha got...

Too many people spend the day complaining about their day and what they have in front of them. Maybe they received incorrect info or someone that they expected to work with did not show up or they are not meeting your standards- what do you do?
Take your time in your day and use it to whine and complain OR do you find a way to make it work?

You can always address your issues down the road but when you are in the moment your job is to do the best that you can do with what you have in front of you.
And here's the thing- you do it seamlessly to others.
You do not always have to pull others down to push yourself up or keep pointing at yourself as if to say " Look at Me"... just do it.

If life was perfect it would be easy BUT we all see things around us that we WISH were different.
So how do you effect change?
Work within the system and realize that change sometimes is slow. What may be evident to you may not be to others.
Worry about YOU- and what you can do to better perform YOUR job.

Work with whatcha got...and work within your means.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

The Heart of the Matter


"The Heart Of The Matter"
By Don Henley


The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again
I've been tryin' to get down to the Heart of the Matter
But my will gets weak
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it's about forgiveness
Forgiveness

 These times are so uncertain
There's a yearning undefined
...People filled with rage
We all need a little tenderness
How can love survive in such a graceless age
The trust and self-assurance that can lead to happiness
They're the very things we kill, I guess
Pride and competition cannot fill these empty arms

 There are people in your life who've come and gone
They let you down and hurt your pride
Better put it all behind you; life goes on
You keep carrin' that anger, it'll eat you up inside
 I think it's about Forgiveness




 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 22, 2014

Hurry up

Hurry up and buy buy buy...
Isn't that what the holidays are about?

Everybody gets so stressed and worried. They need to be sure that they buy enough gifts and over buy for dinner parties....stress stress stress..
Isn't that what the holidays are about?

Too bad we do this to our selves. We forget what the heck we are even celebrating.
When all is said and done we may have a few hours to exhale and MAYBE enjoy the moment.

Holidays are all controlled by the media now, all the marketing 24/7 is to get you to spend money.
Buy stuff you don't need so you can go more in dept.

Why?

Wouldn't it be nice to just relax and enjoy EACH OTHER.
Spend more time with people that you care about and less time in the mall getting frustrated.

Guess what- you can do it- CHOOSE - to celebrate life and friends and loved ones with a hug, a kind word or just a simple conversation.

Hurry up....the choice is yours..

Saturday, December 20, 2014

The Perfect Mover

A perfect mover is: courteous, diplomatic, intelligent, patient, humorous and even-tempered.

A perfect mover must be strong enough to move anything, yet gentle enough to break nothing, durable enough to work in any kind of weather, yet thoughtful enough not to sweat on the furniture, considerate enough to go without lunch to get the job done; yet reasonable enough to accept only modest consideration for his effort.

A perfect mover knows the best way to handle all household items and office equipment. He knows all the streets and highways in the United States and remembers the shortest route wherever he goes.

A perfect mover understands people, mechanics, bookkeeping, banking, electricity, plumbing, carpentry, construction, law, medicine, real estate, horse trading and human nature.

A perfect mover shall satisfy, God, the customer, the carrier, the agent, the dispatcher, and his wife when he manages to get home.

A perfect mover, is thought to have the ability to prophesy the beginning and the end, be a healer of problems, a worker of miracles and to understand all words and languages. 

A special thank you to all Arpin Drivers... Happy Holidays!


Friday, December 19, 2014

EGO



If we have lived life well, we will die many times. The death of the ego is one of the most difficult experience to go through, yet the most rewarding. There is our way and then the we way. From I - thee, we move to the I- thou relationship as Buber states. We come to understand that we are one and if we hurt the other we also hurt ourselves.

 When we undestand that we are not at the center of the universe and people do and say things or fail to say things or do things and guess what it is not about us after all: we are finally free and we get a new life.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Not trying hard enough

Resilient people try to learn from each mistake -Rather than make excuses for their failures,   They identify skills, ideas, and life lessons that can be learned from each failed opportunity.

They view failure as evidence that they’re stretching themselves to the limits. They know that if they don’t ever fall down, they’re likely not trying hard enough.

 Each stumble provides proof that they’re pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones, which is an essential component to self-growth.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Resilient People

Resilient people recognize that no matter how bad the circumstances are, their situation could always be worse. They don’t allow themselves to exaggerate how terrible their problems are and they don’t run around predicting how much worse things are going to get. Instead, they view failure with an accurate perspective.

Rather than become upset their first attempt didn’t work, resilient people choose to be grateful they had the opportunity to try. They remind themselves that many of today’s setbacks won’t matter next year. Their willingness to look for the silver lining keeps their mood positive as they continue to behave productively, even when things don’t work out the way they’d hoped.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

What could YOU have done ?

From Driver of the Year...Skip...


"Try to not point blame is something goes wrong but reflect on what YOU could have done to prevent it. You can get angry all day and say that it was somebody else's job but if it effects YOUR job then ultimately YOU are responsible.",
YES, even with the limited knowledge we get about our job, we can fix things BEFORE, we get there...See the picture, simply looking at the address from Google maps...The center house, with the pond and pool, is a SHUTTLE...We can prepare....WAY ahead of the loading time.. .INVESTIGATE! Prevent issues!


Always call the shipper and ask the right questions...Packing done? Truck access ?I always arrive early, tell my shippers they will see me before 7 AM, but I won't bother them until 8...At that point I've seen what I need to see and have an hour to fix issues before they become issues...


I also grew tired of being a taxi...Transporting labor(picked up at the agent at 8am)to residence, and starting on the job at 10....Now, if they can't get there(yes, I do kick in for gas)they don't work.....Early start, early finish..


Big pack and loads.. I try to get done with the pack by 3 pm, normally, cut the guys loose to start taking things apart, and padding after each room is inventoried.. Nothing is loaded on the first day....Then imagine the shipper walking around in the house, seeing shrink wrap, everything padded, no wood showing...ALL NIGHT LONG!...The next am they are on your side, and the job will be done by 3 pm....

It ain't that hard.



Monday, December 15, 2014

Carry that weight

We all carry weight...we take our past with us.

As Jackson Browne says in one of his songs " no matter how fast I run I can never run away from me".  We all fight memories of growing up, which actually seems so silly but it is true.
Our foundation is poured before we even have a choice.
And believe me we all have stories and weight to carry.

Some people grow up with one struggling parent or maybe no parents. Some grow up with alcoholism or abuse and they see and hear it in their heads every day.
Some grow up in poverty or alone.
There always was bulling but with today's technology cyber bulling is a whole other weight.

Many things that are completely out of our control yet we allow them to dictate our path and our reactions.
That is why the " Let it Go " principal is so important but it is easier said then done.
It normally takes a lot of self reflection and honest communications.
It is a daily chore and commitment.

Don't allow yesterday or people that may have hurt you control you or your life.

You have the power.

Move Forward.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

The Year was 1951

This Was the Year…1951

U.S. President & Vice President

Harry Truman

The Vice President

Alben W. Barkley

Time Magazine Person Of The Year

Mohammad Mosaddegh


Cost of Living Cost of Food

New House $9,000 
Granulated Sugar   $   .85 for 10 lbs

Average Income $3,515 
Milk                        $   .92 per gallon

New Car $1,520 
Ground Coffee        $   .72per pound

Gallon of Gas          $   .19 
Bacon                      $   .52 per pound

Movie Ticket $   .65 
Eggs                         $   .24 per dozen




Popular Movies FADS

An American In Paris Reading The Catcher in the Rye

Alice in Wonderland Muffin the Mule pull-toy

Scrooge View-Master

A Streetcar Named Desire Scrabble


Saturday, December 13, 2014

How to Build Trust

  1. Your reputation is their first impression.
  2. Show people you care about their needs.
  3. A promise should be as binding as a contract.
  4. Follow through on every commitment you make.
  5. Be straight with people. Tell it like it is.
  6. Always tell the truth or the truth will tell on you.
  7. Surround yourself with people who have a high degree of integrity.
  8. Your actions “off-stage” (e.g., at an office party or on Facebook) impact your trust and credibility.
  9. Your actions must match your words.
  10. Admit when you’re wrong.
  11. Words spoken in confidence are words spoken in trust.
  12. Learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.
  13. It’s not only what you bring to the table but how you serve it.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Trust,Respect and Dignity

  • A lack of trust means people can’t depend on promises made. Commitments are not kept. Deadlines are missed. Quality suffers. People resort to over-managing activities and tasks to try to keep things on track. Time is wasted. Frustration mounts.
  • A lack of respect means that people are discounted. They are not included in plans, decisions, and actions that affect their livelihoods. People feel invisible, sometimes powerless, a cog in a machine.
  • A lack of dignity means that people’s efforts and accomplishments are not valued. Cruel remarks leave lasting pain.

  • What happens when there is Respect, Trust and Dignity ??..

  • Increased team member engagement. Team members and crew cooperate to contribute. They enjoy coming to work. They feel valued at work. They align their skills, talents, and enthusiasm to move the organization forward.
  • Increased customer service. Customers are consistently WOW’ed. Team members and crew treat customers — internal ones and external ones — as valued partners. Team members proactively solve customer issues. They like their customers.
    • Increased profits. Engaged team members and crew exceed goal expectations while living the team’s values. They proactively solve problems. They WOW customers. That translates into hard dollar benefits. Expenses are proactively reduced. Projects are done under budget and on time.
  • Thursday, December 11, 2014

    From Driver of the Year Skip...

    On the Paul Arpin Award and Bristol Plymouth Moving in Massachusetts.......


    "Just like my grandfather and father after him, one of the owners was and still is a driver. He is still working on the trucks and is very hands on. He knows how essential it is to treat the drivers right and what is most important to them, such as assisting them in loading and offloading their shipments in a timely manner. This agent knows that it is all the little things they do to help out the drivers that mean the most. The other owner is a current member of the AAB and is a very active member of the Van Lines. This agent is active in the community as well, and volunteered their time and equipment during the 2013 Philippines Relief Drive."That right there says it ALL....The are a FAMILY of MOVERS!.....


    Wednesday, December 10, 2014

    Credit

    When things go good everybody wants the credit.
    When their are issues you can hear crickets.

    Always be humble, share the good. Thank those around you.

    I try to hear myself and use " WE" more than "I" -
    I had a dispatcher once that was very good and he knew the business but he was also full of himself. He always said "I" in a conversation, especially when taking credit.
    It is a little thing but it tells a lot about a person.

    Build a team and in order to build a positive team that wants to work for you and WITH you-  you need to spread the love and the kudos.

    Take credit when credit is due but also share it whenever possible.

    Remember in the end the cream always rises.

    Tuesday, December 9, 2014

    Be Prepared

    Always be prepared.

    Be organized and be ready for the unexpected.
    Do you have the right tools?
    Do you have all the information and did you ask all the questions that you need to do your job?
    Did you do your research before the work day started?

    Try to not point blame is something goes wrong but reflect on what YOU could have done to prevent it. You can get angry all day and say that it was somebody else's job but if it effects YOUR job then ultimately YOU are responsible.

    Who did you contact beforehand? How prepared were you?
    Could you have done anything to have the day go smoother?
    Start earlier?
    Did my research on line?
    Have a back up plan?

    At the end of the day it is up to you to improve and be a true professional.

    Prepare

    Monday, December 8, 2014

    Communicate

    In today's world of technology there is no excuse not to communicate.

    It is more important than ever to keep everybody in the loop. Many people are involved on any given day, like it or not you must be sure that everyone is on board with what you are doing and discussions that you may have had.
    The more you communicate the easier your job will be. It may seem like more work but it is necessary and it can be helpful.

    I always find that through conversation all issues can be ironed out and listening is a important part of communication. Be sure that it is a two way street.

    Saturday, December 6, 2014

    Know personalities

    One of the secrets to success is to learn personalities and then work within them.

    Rather it is a customer, a co worker, a relative or a friend - take the time to listen and learn.
    Everybody is different and everyone responds differently in situations or to the way that they are spoken to.
    It does not make one right and another wrong , it is what makes us unique.
    The way to succeed is to learn personalities and to try to build a bridge with all.

    To succeed and to be happy you need as many allies as possible.
    Life is tough enough.
    That means listening more and talking less sometimes.
    It also means giving in at times and doing it their way because in the end as long as no one gets hurt- Just- get er done.

    Once you take the time to learn more about the person you may start to understand why they may react the way they do.
    Find the bridge.
    You will find that sometimes you win by losing.

    STOP- LOOK AND LISTEN-

    Learn more- talk less.

    Friday, December 5, 2014

    Try to remember

    Try to remember what it was like when you were younger , back when you had no responsibility or much of anything else.
    When you did not miss what you did not have and enjoyed the little things.
    You laughed more and did not have any agenda but to enjoy the moment.

    Then stuff happens....life happens.
    It kinda takes us for a ride...hopefully a good ride but either way we grow up, get a job and maybe meet a soul mate (if we're lucky). Maybe you are still searching for your soul mate, that's ok too.
    It's the journey that is gift.

    Through all the responsibilities and life's twist and turns try to remember the days when you had nothing and still enjoyed the day.
    Less is more.

    Work your way back, take the time to look around and to SEE the people around you. To appreciate the things you may have and the people in your life.
    Work your way back and stop worrying about the other guy or making more to buy more.
    Life is what you make it.

    Choose to work your way back -

    Thursday, December 4, 2014

    Music




    It must be so gratifying being a song writer and even more so if you are talented enough to sing them and bring them to life.
    They can tell a whole story and bring up emotions all in a three to four minute period and while you tap your foot or hum along.

    Rather it is political or romantic or just fun or relaxing, it allows us to escape.

    Music is the universal language!
    It is funny how some people even drop their twang or accents while they sing. When you here them talk they all of a sudden have their accent again, like the first time you heard the Beatles talk or Adele.
    Some people who studded even lose their stammering while they sing, like Mel Tillis.

    I attended a Dire Straits concert in France once and all though most the audience did not speak English they all sang along or danced to Mark Knoffler and his songs...including Brothers in Arms, Walk of Life and of course Money for Nothing.

    I have been very lucky to attend hundreds of concerts from small living rooms to major stadiums and from Folk to country to good old Rock N Roll and for those few hours I am able to escape along with the rest of the audience.

    It is truly the universal language and a great way to tell stories or to rally for a message or to just smile and tap your foot.

    Music also is tied to your memory, it is able to transcend you back to places that you cherish and times  perhaps when you had less responsibility and were able to simply enjoy the moment.
    It takes you back to your favorite vacation or location and your special moments in life.

    Music can transport you back or just allow you to disappear in the moment.

    Pretty special......allow yourself to disappear. Stop the noise in your head and the rush of the season and relax with some of your favorite tunes or discover some new ones.

    I have too many to list but try James Taylor, The Secret of Life, and enjoy the passing of time.


    Wednesday, December 3, 2014

    From Driver Skip on Technology

    WE,have,as an industry come so far..Anybody else remember 20 years ago,sitting in front of a pay phone for HOURS,waiting for a return call?

    The beginning of our new technology started with cell phones,now we even have GPS computers that talk to us and tell us where to turn...

    Then the newest software for our IPADs is the Mobile Mover system..Embrace technology,there's still a bunch of guys who are hand writing their inventory..

    .I can't stress how important this new system is.A complete descriptive inventory(that anyone can read,hint my handwriting sucks)along with the cube method of describing exact locations,and pictures of questionable items,-

    WILL SAVE YOU DOLLARS ON CLAIMS...Get with the program!


    Tuesday, December 2, 2014

    TEN THINGS THAT WILL NEVER FAIL YOU

    1) HONESTY
    2) INTEGRITY
    3) HARD WORK
    4) BEING NICE
    5) BEING EXCELLENT AT WHAT YOU DO
    6) EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
    7) SPENDING LESS THEN YOU EARN
    8) SAVING AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN
    9) BEING CHARITABLE WITH YOUR TIME.TALENTS AND MONEY
    10) YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR

    Monday, December 1, 2014

    From Driver Skip on yesterday's posting on Hate...

    Found this and it fits..:

    Everyone will go through some hard times at some point. Life isn't easy. 

    Just something to think about. Did you know the people that are the strongest are usually the most sensitive? Did you know the people who exhibit the most kindness are the first to get mistreated? 
    Did you know the ones who take care of others all the time are usually the ones who need it the most? Did you know the three hardest things to say are I love you, I'm sorry, and help me? 

    Sometimes just because a person looks happy, you have to look past their smile to see how much pain they may be in. To all my friends who are going through some issues right now--let's start an intentional avalanche. We all need positive intentions right now. 

    May I ask my friends wherever you might be, to kindly copy and paste this status for one hour to give a moment of support to all of those who have family problems, health struggles, job issues, worries of any kind and just needs to know that someone cares. 

    Do it for all of us, for nobody is immune.